Indiana Basketball: Why the Hoosiers Don't Deserve Yo Play in the CBI

Despite the horrendous record of the Indiana University men’s basketball team (12-17, 3-13), there are some critics out there who believe that the Hoosiers should play in the postseason.

For a team with a record five games under the .500 mark, the claim seems utterly ridiculous. What postseason tournament could IU possibly qualify for?

The answer: the CBI (College Basketball Invitational).

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the College Basketball Invitational is a postseason tournament that consists of 16 teams. The games are played at campus sites and the format of the tournament is single-elimination until the championship game, where the final two teams play a best-of-3 series.

The CBI is considered to be a third tier postseason tournament to the NIT and the NCAA tournament, as the teams participating are mid-major programs and bottom feeders of major conferences.

Now, I see two things wrong with Indiana playing in the CBI.

First and foremost, the Hoosiers have played terrible basketball as of late. The Hoosiers' offense seems to be stagnant and has not produced much as they have lost their past two games by 11 and 21 points.

If invited, should the Hoosiers play in the CBI

YesNoSubmit Votevote to see results

If invited, should the Hoosiers play in the CBI

Yes

46.2%

No

53.8%

Total votes: 156

With the way the team has been playing, especially with bad losses to Northwestern and Iowa at home, this team does not deserve to play in any postseason tournament.

If you had asked me two weeks ago, I would have thought the Indiana Men’s basketball team was about to get over the hump with wins against ranked Illinois and Minnesota teams and receive an NIT birth.

Now, it seems as if this team has lost their swagger and gone the completely opposite direction with six consecutive losses.

Although players such as Jordan Hulls, Will Sheehey and Christian Watford have played well, the Hoosiers can’t seem to put the pieces of the puzzle together and finish out games.

Secondly, Indiana University has one of the most storied basketball programs in the nation, and participating in the CBI would be insulting the legacy of IU basketball.

With five national championships and 20 Big Ten championships, the CBI doesn’t do this program justice.

Imagine if the Hoosiers did ultimately accept a bid and win the CBI, would a CBI banner look good at Assembly Hall?

Some may say, let the kids play and get some experience, but I say these kids don’t deserve to play in the postseason.

Indiana should focus in on becoming a winning team next year with the arrival of heralded recruit Cody Zeller.